A box that's also a house

June 07, 2012

When someone is not sure whether he or she can afford a house, there's an expression about living in a cardboard box. Well, guess what? The containers that people are moving into are not cardboard, but they are boxes. They are the paneled steel containers that companies all over the world use to ship goods by boat.

It is estimated that about 20 million shipping containers pass through American ports every year. This kind of moving of goods, called "containerization," started about 60 years ago. Since then, just about everything and anything is shipped that way. After being used for a while, however, the containers are retired. Rather than having them sit around and take up space in shipyards, people are making them into houses and office space.

In Portland, Oregon, one smart business owner bought a container for $2,500 to house his Mexican restaurant. He worked with architects and structural engineers to overhaul the steel frame, spray insulation in the walls and roof, and cut out windows. The owner claims the construction part was simple compared to getting the blueprints approved by the state.

Container buildings are showing up as student housing in Amsterdam and as a pop-up art studio at New York's Whitney Museum. United States pioneers, like HyBrid Architecture from Seattle, Wash., are converting the containers to personal living space, and have even coined the term, "cargotecture."

HyBrid specifically designed a solar-powered home for Sunset Magazine, and now sells several models including the c192 Nomad, which costs $59,500. The house can be outfitted to run off the grid, and contains eco-friendly materials including bamboo flooring, soy-based insulation and zero-VOC paint. With a cedar deck added, the square footage rises to 492 rather than 192.

Designed to have options, the Nomad can be upgraded with a second 10-foot, secured, all-glass opening, built-in beds and a glass bath door. The latter model, also measuring 192 sq. ft., sleeps four and sells for $72,000 – and that includes shipping.